These 11 Rare Photos Show San Francisco’s Gold Mining History Like Never Before

The California Gold Rush was monumental and changed the course of American history, and certainly California. The mining pictures from the Gold Rush are generally from 1848–1890. The people in these pictures were part of the 300,000 or so people who came to to California from the rest of the USA and abroad to mine for gold. Now, let’s take at these 11 rare photos showing San Francisco’s Gold Mining History!

1. On January 24, 1848 James W. Marshall discovers gold at Sutter's Mill near Sacramento. After that, things changed dramatically and historically for California and possibly the world as miners came to the area to strike rich.

4. The first miners for gold tended to be mainly men. However, women and children of all ethnicities were often found panning next to the men as more and more came to get rich from gold. This photo dates from 1850.

5. When Gold Rush hit a fever pitch, the environment was transformed as hydraulic mining started and mining began to get more developed. The picture is of Dutch Flat, California, from around 1857-1890.

7. During the Gold Rush, miners used a variety of techniques to extract gold. In this photo, a miner uses a rocker box, which was used as a very short sluice box to retrieve the gold. This photo is from 1850.

11. The variety of techniques for prospectors during the Gold Rush were numerous. Today, we can still see the effects of the Gold Rush because San Francisco would not have been as significant and populated when California was formed.